ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies

Dr Joshua Cinner grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. He completed a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island in 2000, and received a PhD from James Cook University in 2006. His research focuses on using social science to improve coral reef management. The interest in this field began in 1996 while working as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in the Montego Bay Marine Park in Jamaica, where he witnessed first hand how conventional conservation strategies were failing because they did not understand or reflect the social, economic, and cultural needs of resource users.

He has since worked with various coastal peoples in the Pacific Islands, South East Asia, East Africa, and the Caribbean to better understand how socioeconomic factors influence the ways in which people use, perceive, and govern coral reefs.

Joshua's work draws together a wide range of social science disciplines (including human geography, common property, anthropology, and conservation policy) and He often works closely with ecologists on interdisciplinary research topics. Increasingly, his research is moving beyond the case study approach toward a ‘big picture’ comparative exploration of human-environment interactions.

These are the most recent publications
associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of
all publications stored at JCU, visit
ResearchOnline@JCU.
Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by
funding source and project.

CGIAR - Contract Research

CGIAR Fish-Agri-Food Systems

Indicative Funding

$429,091 over 4 years (administered by WorldFish, Malaysia)

Summary

JCU and WorldFish are committed to delivery of Flagship 2 "Sustaining small-scale fisheries" of the FISH CRP, and in particular Cluster 1 Resilient Coastal Fisheries and with contributions towards Cluster 3 Fish in Regional Food Systems (Program description http://on.cgiar.org/CRP2Proposals). This partnership will produce novel research contributing to increasing nutrition-sensitive fisheries management and policy for small-scale coastal fisheries, and leading to increased adpative capacity and resilience of small-scale coastal fisheries in the face of climate change. This partnership also represents a strong opportunity to build research-in0development capacity of students and post-doctoral research fellows based in Australia and in WorldFish focal countries.

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Future Fellowships

Identifying and learning from bright spots in coral reef governance

Indicative Funding

$940,000 over 5 years

Summary

This project aims to solve the global problem of unsustainable coral reef fisheries by locating and learning from `bright spots? in reefs. Bright spots are reefs in better condition than they should be, given the multiple drivers (e.g. markets and human population pressures) to which they are exposed. This project will use a global-scale analysis to identify bright spots, and field-based research to uncover the enabling social, economic and institutional conditions. Understanding these enabling conditions should help to formulate policy levers for more sustainable reef governance in other regions.

Investigators

Joshua Cinner
(ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies)

Keywords

Bright Spots; Markets; Coral Reefs; social-ecological

Australian Research Council - Centres of Excellence

ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies

Indicative Funding

$28,000,000 over 7 years

Summary

The overarching aim of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrated Coral Reef Studies is to provide the scientific knowledge necessary for sustaining ecosystem goods and services of the world's coral reefs, which support the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the tropics. The Centre will enhance Australia's global leadership in coral reef science through three ambitious research programs addressing the future of coral reefs and their ability to adapt to change. A key outcome of the research will be providing tangible benefits to all Australians by bui8lding bridges between the natural and social sciences, strengthening capacity, and informing and supporting transformative changes in coral reef governance and management.

Paul M Angell Family Foundation - Grant

Learning from coral reef 'bright spots'

Indicative Funding

$99,337

Summary

This project aims to uncover novel solutions to the global problem of unsustainable coral reef fisheries by locating and learning from 'bright pots' in reef governance. In this case, bright spots are reefs in better condition than they should be, given the pressures they are exposed to (eg markets and human population). This proposal aims to build on my initial proof-of-concept by supporting fieldwork to uncover what makes bright spots bright, ie the social, economic, and institutional conditions that enable coral reef bright pots to withstand the pressures that caused other places to collapse.

Pew Charitable Trusts - Marine Fellows

Bright spots in the world's coral reefs

Indicative Funding

$197,670 over 3 years

Summary

I propose to conduct a 'bright spot' analysis for marine conservation. Bright spot (also called positive deviance) analyses rely on finding, and then learning from, 'positive' anomalies - in this case, the bright spots will be reefs that are in better condition than they should be, given the drivers (eg markets and human population pressures) to which they are exposed. Bright spot analyses have been used in fields such as nutrition to identify transformative solutions that have dramatically reduced malnutrition in some of the poorest places in the world. This project will use a global-scale analysis to identify bright spots in the world's coral reefs, and field-based research to uncover the enabling social, economic, and institutional conditions that have made it possible. These enabling conditions will then be used to formulate policy levers for more sustainable reef governance in other regions. This project will aims to uncover novel solutions to the global challenges confronting our oceans.

Investigators

Joshua Cinner
(ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies)

Keywords

Coral Reefs; Development; Markets; Biodiversity; Socioeconomics

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation:
I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or
by students who have completed their studies within the past
5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within
ResearchOnline@JCU.

Dr Joshua Cinner grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. He completed a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island in 2000, and received a PhD from James Cook University in 2006. His research focuses on using social science to improve coral reef management. The interest in this field began in 1996 while working as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in the Montego Bay Marine Park in Jamaica, where he witnessed first hand how conventional conservation strategies were failing because they did not understand or reflect the social, economic, and cultural needs of resource users.